


Hopeful Future

by Duscara



Series: Kinnis Universe Tetralogy [3]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Adopted Children, Adopted Sibling Relationship, Adoption, Family Fluff, Fluff, Friend Fluff, Friends fluff, G/T, GTS, Gen, Gentle Giantess, Giant/Tiny, Giant/tiny fluff, Giantess - Freeform, Giantess woman, Happy Adoption, Happy Ending, Ignores Dragon Ball GT, Interspecies Relationship(s), Kidnapping, One Big Happy Family, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Ratings: G, Ratings: PG, Rescue, Rescue Missions, TINY - Freeform, Tiny Man, Tiny Person, Tiny people, friendship fluff, g/t fluff, gentle giant, giant, giantess fluff, giantess girl, giantess mom, giantess mother, giantess sister, gts fluff, kiddnaped brother, kidnapped boy, kidnapped son, sfw, sfw g/t, tiny boy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:22:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26330326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Duscara/pseuds/Duscara
Summary: While on a walk, Dawn Newman, a 14 year old human girl, finds a tiny boy who is clearly not a shrunken human. She takes him in, wanting to raise him as her little brother. This is their, though mostly her, story.
Series: Kinnis Universe Tetralogy [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1913272
Comments: 1
Kudos: 1





	1. Discovery

**Author's Note:**

> If you got here from reading the stories in this universe in chronological order, this is the original.
> 
> The two stories listed before this are prequels because they came out after this, but take place before this.

Dawn Newman, a 14 year old girl raised by a single mom, reflected in a mirror on her life. She had pale skin due to not going outside much, dark hair, and had a light build with small breasts that helped her out and did not get attention. Based on what her mother had told her, as soon as she was conceived, her father did not want to have to raise a child, and since they never married, he tried to leave the mother-to-be with nothing other than a child. Thankfully for them, they had a home, clean water, and electricity by the time Dawn was born, and her mother survived giving birth. Dawn knew this meant she was illegitimate, but neither her nor her mother minded.  


For some reason no one knew, Dawn could tell where threats to her were coming from and which way to move to avoid them. She struggled to verbally describe it as soon as she realized what it was and what triggered it. Jumping back to the here and now, she decided to go back to her bedroom, which had plushies of characters like a cute chibi bear from a video game and a 4 year old boy from a manga and anime series dressed as a hero, along with figures of characters from children’s movies that were still good even as she grew up, and a nice bed. As she looked at all of those, Sara Newman, her mother, said, “You should go for a walk, darling. But first, how about a hug?”  


Dawn accepted, went to her, and they exchanged a hug both of them liked. Dawn got out of her pajamas and into a dark gray t-shirt that had pockets, cargo shorts, a long skirt that was also dark gray, and she decided to put on plain socks, as she wasn’t wearing them before. She went downstairs, got on her shoes, and stepped outside. She walked around her neighborhood, and once she went on a sidewalk of a proper road, she heard movement of grass. She saw some movement in the grass and what looked to be gray mouse ears and clear dragonfly wings. Approaching it led to a young boy’s voice saying, “P-please have mercy on me, giant girl!” Curious, she moved some grass out of the way, and she saw something she did not think she would ever see.  
The ears and wings belonged to a tiny boy, small enough to fit in the palm of her hand. He also had a long, bony, and thin, but smooth tail, large eyes, and worn clothes. His ears were halfway between where a human would have their ears and the top of his head, and they both faced forward. She realized that he was the one who begged her for mercy. She also thought he was a very cute kid.  


She remembered that, twelve years ago, almost every legitimate news source in the US, regardless of bias, reported many people suddenly posting photos of tiny people less than a foot tall on social media. Some thought they were fake or edited, but they were real photos. That all happened soon after the release of the alPhone, a revolutionary smartphone that came out in 2007 from Orange, a tech giant that was polarizing now due to moves many people criticized them for, like removing the headphone jack from more recent alPhone models.  


Going back to the present, Dawn reached her hand out to grab him, and he said, “N-no! Don’t crush me in your hand!”  


Surprisingly, his voice was not quiet or high pitched. She softly replied, “It’s okay, tiny boy. Don’t be afraid. I’m not going to hurt you."  


“Y-you don’t have to speak softly. I can hear you just fine when you talk normally.”  


Dawn moved her hand closer, but saw that the boy was evidently terrified of her, so rather than just grabbing him like she had planned to at first, she laid her hand out in front of him. He was visibly confused as to what she wanted when she did that, so she said, “I’d like you to step on my hand so we can talk easier.”  


He replied, “P-promise you won’t hurt me!”  


Since she had no intention of doing so, she said, “I promise I would never hurt someone like you.”  


The tiny boy was visibly confused as to what she meant, but accepted it and placed his hands on her fingers, felt them give, and Dawn asked, “What are you waiting for?”  


He looked anxious as he quickly went to her palm, felt it, and got on. He decided to sit in the palm of her hand, moving his long, bony tail onto one of his legs. She said, “I’m going to raise my body and hand up so I’m standing up. I hope this isn’t too much G-force for you to handle.”  


He did not know what G-force was, but did not mention it. She did as she said, but made sure to do it slowly so it wouldn’t force the boy into her hand. It was not the most stable ground, but it was cleaner than the ground. She held him in a way that made it so he still had to look up to see her face, though not nearly as much as if he was on the ground and she was standing up. She asked, “May I ask you some questions? You don’t have to answer any you don’t feel comfortable answering.”  


The tiny boy nodded, so she asked, “What’s your name? I’m Dawn Newman, by the way, though just call me Dawn.”  


He was hesitant, but Dawn kept waiting for an answer, and she could see that he was still shaking, obviously still scared of her, but he replied, “M-my name is Edo.”  


She was going to say that she thought he had a weird name, but knew doing so would be a bad idea, so she instead asked, “D-did you shrink?”  


Edo quickly shook his head and said, “I was born smaller than a human. These ears, my four wings, and my tail are all real and part of my body. By the way, I can fold my wings to line up with my back. I’ve had them since I was born.”  


After that, she asked him, “Where are your parents?”  


He shrugged and said, “I don’t remember them, though I must have had them at some point, otherwise I wouldn’t exist or have lived this long.”  


Her next question was, “Where do you live? I want to take you back there.”  


“I-I don’t have anywhere to live. I was left around this area by my previous owner, who I could tell hated me. He called me a freak because of my ears, my tail, and my wings, and at one point, he even threatened to feed me to his dog. He hated the sound of my voice.”  


Pitying him, she wanted to take him home with her. She knew what the law could count it as, but she ignored that and asked, “I know it’s rather sudden because we just met, but… Do you want to live with me? Your life would be so much easier, as you would just need to ask for food and water and I’d happily give it to you.”  


He was visibly hesitant, and she thought he was wondering if it was real or a trap. Finally, he said, “I-I… will go with you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been working on this since at most 2012. It started as fanfic as a continuation of what would become my favorite movie, but I eventually decided to make it an original work to avoid legal issues.  
> There will be no rape, non-consent, graphic violence (in this, though its sequel, which I have already written and finished, will have violence), and no underage.


	2. New Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because Edo allowed Dawn to take him home with her, she does.

After Edo said he would go live with Dawn, she held him out at a distance where he could see her entire face, and she smiled sweetly, which calmed him down a bit. Still holding him the way she was, she went back to her house, went upstairs, and went to her room, where she set him down on her nightstand. Not noticing his confusion, she sat on her bed, then said, “We still need to find you somewhere to sleep. Want to search with me?" 

He asked, “Uh, w-where am I going to be… on you… when you walk?" 

She replied, “I wanted to leave that up to you, cutie. Either my shoulder or my pocket is fine, though both have ups and downs.” 

He blushed, and she noticed, asking, “Do you not like being called cute terms?” 

He nodded, then answered her earlier question with, “I-I want to go in your pocket. Also, I didn’t ask this before, but… What do you see me as?” 

Confused, she asked, “What do you mean?” 

He replied, “I mean, do you see me as a pet? A-a slave? Or… Am I more than those to you?” 

Dawn said, “Oh, Edo, I see you as someone to care for, like a… little brother, as our age gap is too small for me to be your mother. Actually, how old are you?” 

He said, “I’m only about seven years old. To you, I’d look to be nine years old because I mature faster than you. D-do you want me to call you ‘Big sis Dawn?’” 

She nodded, then said, “While I’m old enough to be a mother, I probably shouldn’t be.” 

Realizing they had gone on a tangent, she said, “We still need to get a bed for you. I have an idea. You can use a sponge as one, as I used to use one, but don’t anymore." 

He asked, “What is that?” 

She replied, “I’ll go get one to show you.” 

She left for the bathroom, opened a cabinet once she got there, moved objects around in search of it, found it, then returned to her room. Edo tried it out, and it worked for him. His tail and wings did not get in the way, as he could move his tail out of the way to make it so it didn’t hurt, and he could fold his wings. He said, “Ah… this feels so nice. Some blankets would make it better. Do you have ideas for what I could use?” 

Dawn thought for a couple seconds, then replied, “I can use doll blankets for you,” and she left to get them. Once she returned, she gave them to him to try, and he loved it. He said, “This feels amazing. It’s probably the closest I can get to sleeping in a bed like the one you have, but scaled for me. Th-though, why are you being so nice?” 

“As cliche as it may sound, doing good things feels good. I feel good helping you out and caring for you.” 

Remembering her mother, she asked, “Do you want my mom to know of you?” 

He quickly shook his head, but she said, “I’ve heard her mention a desire for another kid besides me. Maybe we could wait before you show yourself to her." 

After she gave him time to think about it, she said, “Your bed is going to be in the drawer of my nightstand. That way, I can hide you from Mom easier.” 

He said, “I-I can make it work. I can sit down and get my tail out of the way without it hurting,” and just accepted his bed being in a nightstand, not knowing where else he would go. They set up his bed, and he said, “It feels so much better than sleeping outside.” 

Dawn was happy for him, and she asked, “Do you want to stay in there for the rest of the day, little bro?” 

He replied, “I’d like to see what all is in your room, as well as w-where I’m not allowed to go.” 

She laid her hand out in front of him again, and since he knew what to do this time, he climbed on quickly. He decided to sit on her shoulder so he could get a better view. She walked to her drawers, pointed at one, and said, “Do not go in this drawer. It has my underwear in it, and due to double standards in this country I don’t like, women’s underwear being visible is worse than men’s underwear being visible, like how women showing their nipples is considered adult, but men showing theirs is not,”  


He asked, “Human women are not allowed to show their chests off?" 

“At least, that is how it is in this country. Do tiny people consider it okay for both genders to show theirs?” 

He nodded, but she asked, “Wait. How do you know that? You don’t remember your parents,” but to Dawn’s surprise, a feminine voice that did not match any voice she knew said, “Edo is of a different species than humans, called Kinnises, and a single one is called a Kinnis. They share your instance of Earth with humans. They also mature 1.25 times faster, but can only live for 4/5 as long. Due to that, no Kinnis can live to be a hundred years old.” 

Dawn thought she was going mad, but the voice said, “You are not going mad. I am Zineas, servant and Child of Vividaren, the sole omnipotent deity, and I am using telepathy to talk with you. I will show you my physical form tomorrow.”  
As Dawn was trying to wrap her mind around what had happened that day, with tiny people with mouse ears, tails, and dragonfly wings being real, an omnipotent goddess being real, and a servant of the goddess talking with her, her mother said, “It’s time for dinner, Dawn! I made spaghetti!" 

Dawn went downstairs, went to the kitchen, and sat down, eating her meal. She was not focused on what her mother was saying, distracted by thoughts of what had happened distracted her. It was visible and obvious, but her mother didn’t say anything. She got one strand of it upstairs, where Edo ate it after cutting it into smaller pieces so it would fit in his mouth. 

Dawn was going to ask something, but she forgot what, and Edo was confused, so he changed the subject and asked, “D-do humans try to kill each other?” 

She hesitated to answer, but nodded and said, “In this country, for a citizen to take the life of another is both a state crime and a federal crime. It’s not that common, though, despite what the news may say. On a different subject, can you fly?” 

“No. I-I’m just not strong enough to keep my body off the ground and gain height. I can glide, though. W-want to see?” 

She nodded, so he got a running start, then jumped from the side of the bed and tried to beat his wings as fast as he could to slow his fall enough to land safely. Once he landed, she put her hand out in front of him, not wanting him to be on the floor where she could step on him. As she thought about it, she realized holding him, another living thing that had the potential to be just as smart as a human, in the palm of her hand gave her feelings of power. 

A couple of hours later, it was bedtime, and once she was in her room after brushing her teeth, she asked her new adoptive little brother, “Do you want me to read you a book before bed?”  
He replied, “No, thanks.” 

Since she had not asked it, she asked, “Can you even read?” 

He nodded, and Dawn said, “Do you want me to kiss you before we go to sleep, or at least try?” 

Edo quickly said, “P-please don’t! I’d think you were trying to eat me if your mouth moved too close to me. It’s the natural response to being prey.” 

Dawn was upset, but she accepted, waved at him, then closed the drawer. It became dark fast, but Edo knew there was nothing else in there. He had a lot on his mind through the night, and he stayed in the improvised bed.

Dawn fell asleep fast, into a dream she would later find strange. She was on a galleon, with four men she did not recognize. She walked around, and no one seemed to notice she was there. Out of nowhere, a bolt of lightning struck the ship, sinking it. Dawn tried to keep her head above the water, but saw something or someone with a humanoid form, but with webbed hands and feet, a fish tail that started where a human would have their tailbone, green, scaly skin, fins, and gills. The figure appeared to have long, red hair from their head. The figure tried to help the men out. Suddenly, a sound in her room made it all go away. She opened her tired eyes, realized it was a dream, and saw her room in the dark. The sound was just the wind blowing loudly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Explanation of Kinnises, of which Edo is one of:
> 
> Kinnises are the only kind of tiny person that exists in the universe the story takes place in. They look humanoid, but have numerous differences.  
> The most obvious one is their size as an average fully grown Kinnis man is 4 2/3 inches tall, and a fully grown Kinnis woman averages 4 4/15 inches tall. Neither of those heights counts their ears. They are 15 times smaller than humans, so using the height of the tallest person who ever lived and the ratio of the size difference, the tallest a Kinnis can possibly be is 7.14 inches.  
> They have ears like those of a mouse, which are located about halfway between where a human has their ears and the top of their heads. Both ears face forward and are always dove gray. They don't have ears where humans do, and they tend to grow their hair to cover that part of their head.  
> They have long, thin tails like those of mice, but instead of having hair on them, they are smooth. Their tails are pink. They can move their tails out of the way to sit down, and it's not painful. Doing this makes their tails point upward.  
> They have wings like those of dragonflies, but their hindwings are shorter than their forewings, and both can fold to line up with their back, unlike those of dragonflies. Their wing folding and the length of their wings prevents them from sitting with folded wings. However, the fold is not enough to block their tails from going behind them.


	3. Parent-Child Bond

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dawn's mother discovers Edo the day after her daughter does. She wants to raise him as a second child despite him being small enough to fit in the palm her hand, the insect wings, the tail, and the mouse ears, and he gets better clothes that act like pajamas.
> 
> Basically, it's a fluff chapter. I like it a lot because I like G/T fluff because it's adorable.

Edo woke up before Dawn the next morning. At first, he forgot what happened the previous day, so he was in a state of panic, but before he screamed, the memories of Dawn finding him and taking him in hit him all at once, and he calmed down. He decided to wait for her to wake up, hoping she remembered what happened. After about an hour, she got out of bed despite being awake for longer than that, and she opened the drawer for him. They both heard a familiar telepathic voice, and she said, “Remember that I said you’d see me in the morning?”  


To Dawn’s surprise, Edo telepathically said, “I don’t remember that.”  


Dawn visibly reacted to being able to hear Edo’s thoughts, and Edo innocently asked, “Huh? Y-you can make this a-” but Dawn said, “Three-way telepathic contact!”  


Edo tried to plug his mouse-like ears as she shouted, but once she stopped, he asked, “Big sis Dawn, w-why did you yell?”  


She replied, “You’ll understand when you’re older.”  


Zineas showed herself and verbally said, “Here I am, you two!”  


She was about as tall as a human woman, which Edo did not expect, but she was still humanoid, albeit with pointed ears, thick hair, a stocky frame, small hands and feet, and large eyes. She had bronze skin. Both of them thought she looked strange, but did not say anything. She still knew, but said, “How someone looks and who they are can be quite different. If only the world knew that more.”  


Dawn asked, “Uh, what have you been doing prior to meeting us?”  


Zineas replied, “It’s more you meeting me. I’ve been a… how do I put this?… Ah, a guardian angel to both of you. When you were at risk, I shielded you at least once. You’re both important. That is why I could not let either of you die for so long. Not that I want you dead or anything.”  


Dawn asked, “In what way are Edo and I important? And can my mom hear us talking?”  


She replied, “To the first one, I don’t even know. Only Vividaren, my master, knows, and she won’t even tell me. To the second one, I made it so only you two can sense I’m here. I could make it so no mortal can sense me, every living thing can notice I’m here, or only certain ones can, and for the last one, I have to decide which ones. Currently, even if your mom walked in here, she would only see you two.”  


Edo changed the topic and said, “I-I’d like to clean myself. I must appear dirty.”  


Not responding to him, Zineas stood still, looked to be spacing out, and explained, “Master Vividaren needs me to do something. I have to leave. See you both later!” After that, she disappeared in a way that reminded Dawn of a hit video game from the 1990s that she never got to play herself.  


Dawn asked Edo, “Want to go in my pocket to the bathroom downstairs?”  


Edo nodded, let himself be picked up and set in a pocket near Dawn’s heart, but as she opened the door, her mother was on the other side, having heard part of the conversation. She was not mad like Dawn had feared she would be due to attempting to hide Edo from her, but was instead visibly happy. Dawn asked, “Mom, what are you thinking about?”  


She replied, “That boy’s voice sounds so cute! I want to snuggle him!”  


Both Dawn and Edo realized she was referring to the latter. He willingly showed himself and said, “P-please be careful and gentle with me!”  


Sara asked, “May I hold you, tiny… mouse… fairy… boy?”  


He responded, “Based on how happy you are, I’ll risk it,” and she gently picked him up by the waist in one hand and set him down on her other hand.  


Once she knew he was stable, Sara asked, “What’s your name?”  


He replied, “I’m Edo. Before you ask if I shrunk, this is my natural size.”  


Sara was silent for a couple of seconds, surprised at how he got to that before she did, then said, “That’s not what I was going to ask next, but thanks for answering. As I heard Dawn say, you look dirty. Would you like to get a bath?”  


He nodded, and as she was walking to the bathroom, Edo was shaking and said, “I-I’d rather big sis Dawn hold me.”  


She was surprised and confused by what he referred to Dawn as, but she said, “I found him outside on my walk yesterday, and since he had no home, I decided to take him in. I know what the law would count it as, but I still wanted him to be safe. He decided to call me his big sister, so I return it by calling him a little brother. Now that you know of him, do you want to refer to him as your son?”  


She nodded with a grin on her face, set up a bath of sorts, and left Edo to clean himself. He liked the warm water, and he managed to use the soap despite it being around his height. He made sure to clean a lot of his body, which included his ears, tail, and wings. Afterwards, he put his worn clothes back on after managing to climb out. He called for either Dawn or her mother, and the latter came. Edo said, “Since you want to call me your son, I’ll have to call you my mom!”  


She said, “I have some ideas to help you out, Edo!”  


“W-what kind of ideas, Mom?”  


“I can make little ladders for you out of string and toothpicks to help you get around the house easier, or at least without help from me or my daughter. I can also help you make better clothes than what you have. You’re so cute and so tiny!”  


He replied, “Due to you and big sis Dawn being giants and due to the precision needed for me to make my own clothes, I-I don’t think you making my clothes would be a good idea. I’d still like the ladders, though.”  


Dawn, who had walked in, said, “Mom and I are not giantesses. You’re just tiny. If we were giants, we’d need to be way stronger to support our own weight.”  


He did not like the thought that they were a normal size and he was tiny, but since he knew how strong they were compared to him, he said nothing. Dawn set her hand out in front of him, and he knew what to do. He got on, and she carried him to a table. Once he had jumped onto the table, she said, “Oh! I forgot some things! I’ll be right back!”  


She walked away, but came back with lime green fabric, navy blue trim, a spool of thread, and a sewing needle, and she said, “Feel free to make your own clothes out of these.”  


Edo first made more a comfortable pair of boxer brief underwear with a hole for his tail. He got it to work, and he got his tail on the outside of it.  


After he got his new underwear on, he started his pants. He decided that he wanted to have pants that looked and felt like pajamas. He managed to get it to work, and he put it on, getting his tail on the outside by putting a hole where his tail was and repeating what he did for his underwear. He made it lime green with a navy blue trim around the ankles.  


After that, he wanted a matching pajama top. He managed to get it to work despite his wings by putting two holes in the back, one for his left pair of wings and one for his right pair. The holes were made in such a way that allowed him to fold his wings, unfold them, glide, slow his falls, and eventually fly, all while keeping his wings on the outside of his shirt. The shirt had long sleeves, tiny buttons on the front, and was also mostly lime green with a navy blue trim around the neck and wrists.  


Once his outfit was finished, he put it all on. He even managed to make tiny slippers for his feet. Once he got his outfit on, Dawn walked by and said, “You look so adorable in that outfit, little brother! You were adorable before, but that makes you look even better!”  


Edo blushed, and she remembered not to call him that, but realizing he hadn’t tried out the ladders, she said, “Mom made those string and toothpick ladders for you. Want to try them out?”  


He nodded, got on her hand, was carried to each of the ladders placed around the house, and got up and down them quite fast. He felt that he could glide his way down instead of using ladders, but realized that doing that took a lot of energy, so he decided that he would use the ladders to go down as well as up. The final one he tried out was the kitchen table, and as he got to the top after going both ways (so he wouldn’t be on the floor), Sara came in and said, “I got dinner from O’Donald! I got a Titan Mac with Large Fries for myself, a plain Double Donald Burger with Cheese and Medium Fries for Dawn, and I got a Kids’ Meal for you, Edo. I assume you wouldn’t eat a full meal, so eat what you can.” As she said that, she dropped bags of food on the table.  


As he looked at his adoptive mother and big sister eating, he shuddered, remembering once more just how massive they were to him and that he was only still alive due to their merciful nature. Dawn noticed this and asked, “Is something wrong?”  


He replied, “Looking at you two eating reminded me of our size difference and that you could easily e-eat me.”  


Dawn said, “While both of us are strong enough to do that, we would never do that to you. I promise.”  


Their mother said, “I also promise I would never harm you.”  


He calmed down a bit and started his meal. His mom got him six Nuggets O’Chicken with Small Fries. Combined, that was much more food than he could eat, but he still tried his best. They all had reduced fat milk they already owned for a drink, and they all liked it. After the meal, Sara commented, “Edo, your name is also the name of a period of Japanese history.”  


He replied, “Oh. Really?”  


“Yeah,” and she asked, “I know I’m suddenly changing the subject, but may I hug you… my son?”  


Edo remembered what a hug was and said, “I-I have a feeling a hug from you would crush me, Mom,” but Sara replied, “I’ll be gentle,” which was enough for him to approach. She hugged him close to her belly, which was larger than that of her daughter, as she had given birth. Dawn could see his wings flutter. After that, she asked, “Now may I hug you, Edo?”  


He nodded, walked onto her hand from the hand of her mother, and she hugged him in a similar fashion to her mother. As she finished it, she said, “Oh, right! I’d like to show you an iconic science fiction movie.”

Curious, he decided to see what she was talking about, and with him on her shoulder, tucked into the sleeve of her shirt with his wings unfolded but not beating and his tail going to the back of her shoulder, she explained, “I’d like to show you a movie that originally came out in 1977, but this fan edit is from earlier in this decade.”  


She put it in, pressed play once it got to the main menu, and watched it with Edo on her shoulder in the same spot. As it went on, he leaned against her, and he liked the soothing feeling of her pulse. He did not fully understand the plot the movie, but she knew what was going on. Once it was over, he said, “I liked this movie, but… w-why did you show me this version specifically? Why not an official version?”  


Dawn knew it would seem like a rant, but said, “The creator of this movie later made two sequels in the early 1980s. Each one was released three years apart. There was quite a lot he had filmed for this, but he did not use all of it. He expected the movie we just watched to not do too well, but it was a surprise success that launched a multimedia franchise. In 1997, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of the first movie, he re-released this and its two sequels in theaters, but he had heavily edited them. These edits were to test the waters for newer movies taking place before the one we just watched. Quite a few of the edits added computer generated imagery, or CGI for short, some of which replaced special effects used in the original version. Some changes were welcomed or at least got a neutral reception, but others were criticized. One change in particular caused a lot of controversy, mainly because the creator couldn’t make up his d- mind. In the original 1977 release, the guy who owned the ship shot the guy who confronted him about unpaid debts before he could get a chance to shoot. In the 1997 re-release, the second guy shot and missed at point-blank range, as the guy he was trying to kill dodged by moving his head with CGI that people say does not look good. A bit passed, then the first guy shot and killed him. In the 2004 high quality release, they shoot at nearly the same time, but the bad CGI dodge is retained despite another bad CGI moment added in the 1997 release being altered to look better. In the 2011 HD release, they shoot at nearly, if not the same time, but it’s way faster, as fast as the original version that debuted in the 1970s. In a version that debuted on a streaming service, the second guy made a threat in a different language than the one he was speaking in before, then it plays like the 2011 release. The version we just saw was altered from the 2011 release, using a version from 1993 as a guide. The two sequels also have fan edits by the same person who did the fan edit we just saw.”  


He just stared, silenced by how detailed Dawn was in her explanation. Interrupting the thought by mistake, Sara said, “Time for bed, my kids!”

Dawn carried Edo to her room, and their mother followed. Once the Newman family all got there, the only adult of the family asked, “Do you want to get a dollhouse to yourself, Edo? We have an old one Dawn no longer plays with, and the house is scaled for five inch tall dolls, so it should work for you.”  


Edo shook his head and said, “For some reason, I-I like being in wide open spaces meant for humans. It gives me a lot of room, though I don’t like being on the floor because I-I might get stepped on.”  
After that, he got into his bed, and Dawn asked, “May I tuck you in?”  


He nodded, felt her fingers slide his blanket to his neck, and he liked it. She said, “You look so adorable in there.”  


Edo blushed again, and Dawn waved him good night, then closed her drawer again. He knew that there were now at least two humans who wanted to care for him.

Dawn had a dream where she was on a merry-go-round, and her surroundings were changing constantly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The 1990s hit video game I mentioned that Dawn thought of when she saw Zineas leave is supposed to be Chrono Trigger. I tried to adapt its Gates into a 3D space, so I’ve come up with a way for them to work. Mine only go through space, or even into another universe. They are perfect spheres that appear to be primarily white with pink on both ends. However, one end also has some red, while the other is more pink with some light gray. You can see into them from the outside, and anyone that knows it’s there can tell where it begins. Touching it or going into it sucks the one who did it into the center, and makes sure they’ll go to the destination. Since you can look into it, you can see what all is going to get sent to the destination, which is difficult to determine without help. Zineas can create those at will, centered on her, and that is how she left Dawn’s room. She can also set where the other end will be.
> 
> For each planet with sentient species on it in each universe, Vividaren creates a member of a species called Children of Vividaren, which only exist to serve her and to to oversee that planet. In the case of Earth in the universe Hopeful Future takes place in, the servant is Zineas.
> 
> In-universe, Vividaren directly created Kinnises around 200,000 BCE (Before the Common Era, same as BC). She didn’t think it through all the way when she combined body parts from humans, mice, and dragonflies, and making the result tiny when compared to a human. She also made them capable of moving their tail out of the way and make their wings not too large, so they could sit down.
> 
> Kinnises have passive innate magic that lets them fly even if their wings are too small. It is reliant on their wings, so if they lose any of their wings, they can no longer fly. It gets stronger as the individual matures, so that explains why young ones can’t fly despite having wings that are the same size relative to their body as adults. Passive innate magic also makes it so they can hear humans just fine without them speaking softly, and also makes them better at generating and storing body heat than they should be. All three of those functions are separate, so if a Kinnis lost their wings, they would still be able to hear humans just fine when they’re using a normal voice, and they would still generate and store their body heat surprisingly well for someone so tiny.
> 
> Kinnises were also the basis for tiny people myths around the world.
> 
> Also, Dawn and Edo watched the Despecialized Edition of Star Wars (the original film from 1977). They have GOUT (which came out in 2006 along with the 2004 DVD versions of the Original Trilogy) as their obligatory official copy, and they have the Despecialized Editions of the same movies on Gru-Ray (my worlds' version of Blu-ray). They have a Gru-Ray Player that can also play DVDs and CDs and connect to the Internet for streaming services, but it cannot use Gru-Ray 3D. Given how that apparently didn't do too well, it's not a big deal.
> 
> Despite taking place in summer 2019 (according to the Northern Hemisphere, where I live), Dipney-, my worlds’ counterpart to Disney+, is released by the time Hopeful Future takes place, and people have seen the altered “Han shot first” scene that debuted there and figured out that Greedo is threatening Han in Huttese.
> 
> O'Donald is my version of McDonald's. Their Titan Mac is the Big Mac of McDonald's. Nuggets O'Chicken are their Chicken McNuggets. The Donald Burger and the Donald Burger with Cheese are the Quarter Pounder and Quarter Pounder with Cheese, respectively. Or, if you're in a part of the world that doesn't use Imperial units, the Royal, McRoyal, Royal Cheese, Hamburger Royal, Hamburger Royal TS, Royal Cheeseburger, Grand Cheeseburger, or other names. Their Kids' Meals are their version of Happy Meals. They come with toys by default, but Sara decided not to get one, wanting other kids to get Kids' Meal toys.


	4. Games and Bonds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dawn introduces Edo to two video games she's fond of.
> 
> Being so tiny means that he has a harder time playing, but he still tries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this chapter after I had uploaded Chapter 3. I wrote the rest of the story in advance. I decided that I needed more time with these characters living in peace.

Dawn adapted fast to having a new member of her family. She was okay with Edo as her little brother because he would be safe with her and her mother.

It was near the end of June and around the start of July. The Newman family got a newer game system, the Ninventont Switch, that could be both a home console and a portable game system. Some people found it strange that the creators, Ninventont, went back to using cartridges like the Ninventont 64 did. The difference was that these cartridges used flash memory as opposed to the old-school style of carts, which more commonly had enhancements built into the cartridge. One of the most hyped games for the system was Super Bash Sisters Ultimate, a fighting game that was the fifth or sixth game in the series, depending on if one considered two games developed at the same time and both released in 2014 as two versions of the same game or different games. The newest game had a hyped up story mode that disappointed a lot of people once it came out due to being like the Event Matches from previous games. 

Of course, the Newman family had a Ninventont Switch and the game. Once Edo knew what it was, he asked Dawn, “Big sis Dawn, can we play Super Bash Sisters Ultimate together?” 

She replied, “Are you sure you can handle it? A single Coy-Jon is around the size of your body-” 

“I can make it work. Even if I’m not playing games with you or I can’t, I can at least be on your shoulder and watch you play.” 

She smiled at the thought of what having a tiny person on her shoulder felt like. 

“I’ll teach you how to play.” 

After some time, he figured out how to play with a single Coy-Jon. He could not access all of the buttons at once, so he was unable to grab or shield. 

“Want to try to fight?” Edo asked. 

“S-sure!” His adoptive sister replied. 

Edo decided to main a character who was an angel that was incapable of true flight on his own. He felt the character was relatable since he too had wings separate from his arms, and he too was incapable of flight. Dawn chose to main a character the game called an “Echo Fighter” which she figured out during the announcement was just a new term for “moveset clone” and was confused as to why certain such characters, as well as semi-clones and pseudo-clones, were not. 

The two of them had made a rule set for when they played the game together. They set it so they each had three stocks, a time limit of three minutes, a super attack meter (which was new to the series in this game), spirits were enabled, the AI characters had a default level of 4, the stage was selected by the loser of the previous match, they had set it to morph between Battlefield and Final Destination by making it so two matches had to be won to get to the results screen, stage hazards were disabled, enabled something called “Underdog Boost”, and enabled pausing, displaying the score, and showing damage. 

Despite people online saying that the game ruined friendships, Dawn avoided getting mad because Edo said, “W-when you’re mad at me, I fear for my life,” and she wanted to respect that. 

They had good times playing that game, but there was a PC game Dawn got because she overestimated what hers could render at a stable framerate. It was a recent entry in a series of artillery tactical games where players were cartoon worms that were trying to kill all of the other teams. The art style of the one she had reminded people of concept art. 

The game did not run too well because Dawn’s computer was average, as she mostly preferred to do activities that were not straining it, like watching videos, live streams, looking at art her mother would approve of, and writing. 

Despite all of that, Dawn still played it a lot. She had made a team for herself, but also made a team for her little brother based on his requests. She was fond of playing local multiplayer against him, though they were both good losers. He was fond of the Stuffed Turkey Surprise, the Super Flatulence Sheep (he didn’t know what “Flatulence” meant), the Stinking Carpet Bomb, the Super Banana Bomb, the Liberty Strike, the Demonic Strike (even though he didn’t know what “Demonic” meant), the Ming Vase, and the Mega Buster. The super-weapons, which were a giant statue of a donkey that exploded the ground until it reached the bottom, a fire version of it, the Orbital Mega Gun Strike (the O.M.G. Strike), and its upgraded version, the Orbital Mega Gun Laser Of Ludicrousness Strike (The O.M.G. L.O.L. Strike), dealt loads of damage, but heavily reduced the amount of land, as the game was played on land that could be damaged easily. 

They had good times playing the two games for a month, while Sara and Edo developed a better mother-son relationship as he and his big sister grew closer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this didn't really progress the plot. I wanted the audience to get to be around my characters more.
> 
> In case it's not obvious, "Super Bash Sisters Ultimate" is supposed to be Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The PC game is supposed to be based on the Worms series, most influenced by Worms: W.M.D.
> 
> Things will get more serious next time, though the next chapter will be a transition (or at least, an attempted one) from chapters like this to ones with a more serious tone. I decided it was necessary to avoid whiplash from the contrast.


	5. Vigilant Transition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dawn grows uneasy, not wanting to lose Edo.
> 
> This is a transition to the next chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this chapter to ease into the next, which will be the last. However, I have three finished stories that expand the universe it takes place in. One is a prequel that explains how humans learned of Kinnises. Another starts out before this, but catches up to it by the end. The one I'll upload last is a sequel, but I don't want to say too much yet. I've already written it.

A month had passed since Sara Newman discovered that Dawn had taken in Edo. The single mother and her two kids lives well together. At one point, Dawn went onto her computer, booted up Giggle Shiny, a web browser made by Giggle, a company famous for a search engine of the same name, went to Twiizleer, a social media site not owned by Giggle, and searched for “Tiny people” to see how others reacted to Kinnises like Edo.

She saw that the thoughts other humans had on Kinnises were varied. The people she agreed with, which numbered in the millions and was the largest group, believed that they should be treated like humans due to having similar intelligence. Another group, also in the millions, believed that they should be kept as pets. Dawn did not agree with that, knowing Kinnises could be as smart as humans and felt that was morally questionable and could amount to human trafficking and/or slavery. A third opinion with millions of supporters viewed Kinnises as useful for workers paid very little, if at all. Some of them did not even want to pay them minimum wage. A fourth group saw them as pests that should be killed off. Dawn recognized a lot of the names who had each view, and one person who strongly voiced the fourth opinion went by “Marco R. Conrad” or “@ConradCorpHeir” on Twiizleer. Dawn had heard of him as the heir to Conrad Corporation, a rich company that mostly dealt with engineering products. He was hotheaded, prone to spam Twiizes accusing those who insulted or criticized him of libel, acted like he was a prince and most other people were his peasants, and regularly voiced his distaste for taxes, seeing them as an inhibitor of business and the people. Dawn did not reply to anything he said, not wanting to upset him further or make him see her as an enemy. She also noticed that other terms people called them were, “little people,” “mouse fairies” and others.

Dawn took photos of him with her phone and asked, “May I post this picture of you on Twiizleer?”

Edo replied, “No! No! No! No! No! Please, no!”

Dawn accepted this despite knowing that the general public knew that Kinnises existed for a while. She kept the photos on her phone locally. An hour later, she found a toy compact mirror, the alPhone model where Sara realized that she no longer liked Orange, string and toothpicks she could turn into more ladders, an old watch, a bottle cap she turned into a stool, and an old mint can she wanted him to use as a table. She gave all of those things to Edo, and he helped make a ladder so he could climb out of his drawer with less help. She said, “I also made another stool out of a bottle cap, and I put it on the kitchen table so you have somewhere to sit when we eat. I also used another old mint can for somewhere to put your food.”

She was suddenly wondering how he was able to glide, not sure if his wings were large enough to get his body off the ground, but Zineas read her mind and said via telepathy, “Kinnises’ flight muscles get stronger as they mature. A baby can fold and unfold their wings, but cannot fly, glide, or slow their fall. Children can glide and slow their falls, but are not strong enough for true flight. Adults can also glide and slow their falls, but can also achieve true flight. Also, Kinnises were the basis for myths involving tiny people around the world. In case you haven’t figured it out.”

Dawn set her hand out in front of Edo, knowing how to do it. He got on, but she raised it up a bit too fast, and he was forced to steady himself with his hands along with his feet. She realized her mistake quickly, but before she could apologize, Sara said, “Kids, it’s dinner time! I made pizza!”

Edo asked, “W-what is pizza?”

Dawn replied, “I’ll take you to the table to show you.”

He saw that it was in eight pieces that, when all next to each other, made a circle. It was made with at least cheese, bread, and sauce, though toppings were common. Once he saw it, he asked, “I-is this the only way to make pizza?”

Sara shook her head and said, “There are so many ways to make pizza. In New York, which is near if not on the east coast of this country, their style is pizza is thin. In the Midwest, specifically the city of Chicago and the surrounding area, their style of pizza is quite deep, and some eat it with a fork. There are many other styles as well, and different kinds of toppings, crusts, and even shapes.”

He liked the sound of those variations, but when he actually ate the one his mother made, he could not eat much of it due to having much less of an appetite. Afterwards, Dawn asked, “Would you like to watch the sequel to the movie originally from 1977 we watched a while ago?”

Edo nodded and said, “I’d like to be in the same position I was in when we watched the original movie,” and Dawn set her hand out in the table. Edo got on, walked from her arm to her shoulder, and tucked himself in the sleeve. As she walked, he felt bumpy, so he gripped onto her sleeve so he would be stable. She picked out the sequel to the movie, explaining, “This movie originally came out in 1980. Do you remember what I said about the original movie’s two sequels after we finished?”

“Y-you said a lot, big sis Dawn, and I don’t remember all of it,”

“I remember. What I meant was that we’re going to watch a fan edit of the 2011 HD release of the movie, using a version from 1993 as a guide.”

“Oh, that,” and once the movie started, Edo got comfortable, still liking the feeling of her pulse. He thought a character on a swamp planet acted strange even though he was an ally to the hero, and he did not expect early on to see the ghost of the old man that was killed by the villain in the previous movie. He was surprised by how special effects could make it look like the hero lost his hand, certain the actor did not really lose his hand due to the lack of blood. He remembered that an old man in the predecessor mentioned that the villain killed the hero’s father, so he was surprised when the villain said, “No. I am your father!”

This caught him off guard, and he was going to ask about it once the movie was over. The hero got a robotic hand that looked natural to replace his lost one, and once the credits started, Dawn paused it in anticipation of questions from her little brother. He asked, “T-the twist certainly caught me off guard. How is the villain the father of the hero?”

“The movies that took place before the first one explain it, but they have writing many have criticized, along with a lot of CGI that was also not well liked, at least at the time it came out. Do you mind me telling you, since it may count as a spoiler?”

“Go ahead, big sis,”

“The father of the hero turned evil. When the creator wrote the old man’s dialogue in the first movie, they were referred to as separate characters because they were originally intended to be different, but he changed it. This is called a retcon, and while some are frowned upon, others are praised. Some directly contradict previous statements, while others don’t alter events but still alter lore, perhaps explaining it as the original source of the information not being well informed. Back to the movie, remember the robed man the villain bowed to?”

“Y-yes. Why?”

“This movie was his debut, as well as the debut of the short green character. The villain bowing to him shows who he is really well, as the villain killed his own servants for failing him, which is not a good strategy in real life, but anyway, seeing that was a surprise. Relations between the villainous faction members had not been established when the first movie was being made, which is why the villainous old man who was killed when the space station was destroyed could order the villain in black armor around. That seems unlikely at first glance given the power the latter has. It’s likely the ruler of the villainous faction ordered the one in black armor to obey orders from the old man. One more point is that, when the villain revealed that twist, many people who saw it back in 1980 thought he was lying. People also misquote it… a lot.”

Sara walked in and said, “My parents also thought he was lying back in 1980. I say ‘my parents’ and not ‘I’ because I was born in 1982, between the original release date of the movie you just watched and the third one released, which was the second sequel to the original movie. Watching it in theaters in 1997 helped clear it up, though I watched its predecessor first. Anyway, it’s about time for bed, my kids!”

Dawn took her little brother upstairs, set him on his bed, and tried to get some rest.

Edo had a strange dream. He looked down and saw that he didn’t have his legs or tail. Instead, he had the body of a spider, minus the facial area. His torso attached above where the spider head would was, and while he didn’t have eyes there, he had two fangs. He was fuzzy, but his normal body was still as large as it was outside of the dream, and his legs were segmented. He was still wearing his shirt, but that was the only thing he was wearing.

He felt a vibration in the ground, which he knew meant that a human was coming. Dawn came, and he tried to get her attention. She heard him well and asked, “Why are you a spider?”

He replied, “I don’t know. Can I crawl onto your hand?”

“Sure!” and she set her hand out in front of him. He was somehow used to having eight legs, and he walked on. Despite how scary it was, he decided to crawl all over her hand, even upside down. He walked up onto her shoulder, where he stood due to not knowing how to sit down on eight legs. He said, “Being on your shoulder gives me a good view, and I’m closer to your ear.”

She took him to his bed, where she said, “Feel free to sleep in your bed.”

He did, and that was the end of the dream, as he woke up back to normal. 

Dawn’s sleep was restless. She saw what looked to be a helmet, and there was a scary voice that repeated, “The traveler revealed the truth, and they will suffer for it!” 

In the morning, Dawn could not remember what scared her so much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: The next chapter will feature kidnapping and ransom.
> 
> I made this chapter to avoid whiplash from the sudden transition from cute, fluffy chapters to a serious final chapter.
> 
> Anyway, "Twiizleer" is my worlds' version of Twitter. "Giggle" is my Google, and Giggle Shiny is my Google Chrome.
> 
> I got the name "Twiizleer" from a corruption of "Twizzlers" mixed with one of "Tweezers" based on a group called "Team Twiizers" that deals with modded Nintendo Wii consoles.


	6. Whiplash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marco Conrad kidnaps Edo. His adoptive family comes to rescue him.
> 
> CONTAINS KIDNAPPING AND HOSTAGE SITUATIONS!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I'm repeating myself, but this chapter contains hostage situations and kidnapping!

Dawn became significantly more vigilant for threats. This led to her being more exhausted over time. When Dawn woke up, Edo said to her, “I can’t tell if me gaining the lower body of a spider was real or a dream.” 

“… What?” 

“Since you don’t remember it, it must have been a dream.” 

The night after Edo had the dream where he was part spider, Dawn’s fears became reality, as someone managed to sneak in around 3 AM. Her ability to sense danger went off, dispelling the dream she was having, which involved her staring at a tiny, light blue creature made of living goo in a mech suit that was a combination of two it was used to. She could tell where the threat was coming from, and as she turned on the lights, her eyed needed to adjust to the sudden light level change. She went downstairs without her still sleeping mother, and saw that a young adult had broken in once her eyes were adapted to the light. He was a white man who had blonde hair that looked to be dyed from black hair. He wore a face mask with what looked like blood stains in the shape of teeth. She hoped it was just ketchup, as the two made similar stains. The intruder said, “Give me the tiny freak who lives with you, and this will be easy.” 

“I will never let you take him!” 

He started attacking Dawn, and her danger sense let her dodge all of his attacks, but she exhausted herself. She felt like she was about to collapse, but realized something and asked with her last bit of energy, “How do you know who he is? How did you know that I lived at 242 Conifer Drive in San Lajen? Why did you target me and not someone else?” 

“My master ordered me to do it, and I hate tiny freaks with animal ears, tails, and wings-” he said, but Dawn collapsed from exhaustion, so she never learned if he said more. 

By the time Dawn got back up, four hours had passed, and as she realized what happened, she rushed to her bedroom to see if he had kidnapped Edo. As she opened the drawer, he was not there, and Dawn assumed he would fight back if he was aware of what was happening and wasn’t asleep. There was an evidently typed up and printed ransom note saying, “Newman family, To ensure the safe return of your tiny friend (who used to be mine, by the way, before I abandoned him outside in the hopes that he would die), I demand all of the money you two have, even in your bank accounts. I also want your credit card(s) and debit card(s) to ensure I get all of it. Send the cash to 668 New Castle Lane in Zaslas. Failure to pay within three days means you will never see him again. -Marco Conrad” 

She checked her mother, who was terrified at the thought of losing a child. Dawn was also terrified that the man she now knew was the heir of Conrad Corporation would kill her little brother, so she said, “I’d like us to go there so we can rescue him.” 

Her mother replied, “Yes! I was going to do that anyway, as while Edo may not be related by blood to us, I still consider him my son!” 

She got a pistol and a single clip. It had seventeen rounds, which she assumed were enough. 

On the drive down to the city, Sara went as fast as the speed limit allowed her to. Dawn asked, “Isn’t Zaslas the ‘Impossible Borders City’?” 

Sara replied while still focusing on the road, “That’s correct, darling. It’s the point where California and New York meet.” 

“Wait. What?! How is that possible?! They’re on opposite coasts of the country!” 

“I have no idea!” 

Once they arrived, they saw that their destination was an old warehouse. To their surprise, an AI controlled turret aimed at Sara, and Marco said over PA, “I will only fight the younger girl. If you try to join her, woman, the turret will fire upon you. Exiting will cause it to stop.” 

She didn’t believe him, so she stepped in, and the turret started firing, but she managed to dodge and get outside of the point where it would fire. It stopped trying to shoot her. Dawn tried that, and it did not fire. Her mother gave her the gun and ammo despite her not having a license, making it illegal, but she entered alone despite no longer being a pure law-abiding citizen. 

The location was an old warehouse Dawn suspected Marco was using as a base. She noticed an unusual helmet that would not be out of place in science fiction, but approaching it set off her danger sense, so she backed away. There were military vehicles that she suspected he had modified, as there was extra armor on the hull, crates with different labels, different types of off-road vehicles that appeared to be camouflaged for forests, a turret on tracks, a cargo van with room for five people that had steel armor, a steel ram, and steel spikes, two different handheld devices that looked to be like ones from two related video games by the same developer, and an all-in-one desktop computer that seemed to have been made out of something old. The lights were old, so the place was kind of dim, which she found creepy. She heard Edo screaming to get her attention, and she followed it and found him in a steel cage. Dawn asked, “What has he done to you, bro?” 

“So far, nothing, t-though I’m feeling a bit thirsty and hungry.” Edo replied. 

“That was my plan, waiting until that freak died of dehydration or starvation. Probably dehydration.” Marco said, walking up behind Dawn. Her danger sense went off, so she dodged out of the way, dropping her gun. She saw he had a black baseball bat with a chain and mending plates bolted onto it, and she realized he tried to hit her with it. She asked, “Have you been using this as a base?” 

He was shocked and angry, and Dawn noticed it, but before she could continue, he shouted, “How did you figure it out?!” 

“I can figure things out pretty fast. Also, I’m surprised the ransom wasn’t something we couldn’t possibly pay and was instead all of the money we had,” 

“I wanted to make sure you could pay,” 

“Did you actually expect us to pay up? Or were you expecting that we wouldn’t pay and my dear little brother would die?” 

He was mad, but this time, he had stopped trying to reason with Dawn and now wanted her dead. She managed to dodge and realized he was not holding back. She did not attack him, instead dodging. The lack of rest was taking its toll, and she was feeling lightheaded, but she somehow got a burst of energy, power, durability, and speed, enough to rush in and hit him in the balls hard enough to be painful, but not hard enough to cause permanent damage. She got the amount of damage right, but she still did not like what she had done. She rushed to the cage and ripped the bars up. After making sure Edo could get out, she grabbed him, pulled him out, and rushed to get her gun and get out. Once outside and to the car with both the gun and her brother, she said, “We need to go. I got Edo back, and that’s what we came for, right?” 

“Right,” Sara replied, and she started the car and drove back home. Since there were vehicles in there, and there were doors large enough for them to get out, Dawn looked behind them and expected to be chased, but there was nothing pursuing them. This was a relief, and she took a nap on the way home, with her little brother in her hands. Once they got back home and Dawn woke up, they exchanged hugs, with Edo starting by hugging his big sister’s thumb while on her palm. Dawn was still uneasy, though, and she wanted to talk to her mother about her worries. In her mother’s room, with Edo in his sister’s room, Sara asked, “What did you want to talk about?” 

Her daughter replied, “I have this fear Marco will hold a grudge against us, as I kicked him in his crotch to distract him,” 

“Oh, shoot!” 

“I tried to make sure it would cause enough pain to distract him for long enough, but not so hard that it would cause permanent damage,” 

“Good idea, trying to be careful, but that may have been a bad move,” 

“How about we report him to the police for kidnapping and assault?” 

“I’ll do that, but it sounded like he wanted you dead, so let’s also bring up attempted murder.” Sara responded. 

She called 911, and Dawn heard her mother say, “A loved one of mine was kidnapped- no, no, I rescued him- He’s not at our house- He tried to kill my daughter- Go to 668 New Castle Lane, Zaslas. That’s where we last saw the one who did it. You understand? Good.” 

After that, Sara hung up. They went to Edo, and Dawn said, “I’d like you in my shirt pocket, little bro.” 

“Okay! I’ll be able to feel your heartbeat, which I like.” 

She carried him with her for a bit, but despite having rescued him, she was still uneasy. She feared that he would get acquitted of his charges. 

Wanting to get her mind off of that, she asked him, “Want to watch the second sequel to the movie from 1977, Edo?” 

“Sure!” 

He got into the same position as he did when he watched the movie’s two predecessors. Dawn specified, “We’re going to watch a restored version of the movie, edited from the 2011 release, using the 1993 release as a guide.” 

Edo did not understand all of what was going on. He was scared of the giant beast a crime lord kept under a trap door, so he was relieved when the hero killed it. He was confused as to why there was someone sad that it was dead. 

Next, he saw the hero return to the swamp planet, only to witness the death of the short, green character. His death did not leave a body, either. He was surprised when he saw that the old man who was slain two movies ago mentioned that there was a sibling of the hero. 

Later in the movie, the heroes were on a forest moon inhabited by small, furry creatures that were willing to eat people. The heroes eventually got them on their side. The hero turned himself in to the villains, which Edo thought was a bad idea. 

He was surprised to see the villain of the two previous movies turn against his master, throwing him into a pit that caused an explosion. He was hit hard by his death. 

After the villains’ planet buster space station was destroyed, he thought that it was a perfect ending. 

Right as it was over, Sara said, “Now you’ve seen the three episodic movies that I consider to be the best. From 1999 to 2005, there were three movies released that took place before the first movie. They made the creators a lot of money, but people didn’t like them, at least when they came out. Starting in 2015, and ending in December of this year, there is another trilogy, only this one takes place after the movie you just watched. I find it hard to tell if this new trilogy is hated or just polarizing, because the fans of the series are polarizing in general when it comes to their opinions on this franchise.” 

That night, in Dawn’s dream, she was in a forest or jungle that her mind told her was in Africa. She saw a lot of apes of various age groups climb a massive tree, so she decided to follow them. She struggled for a bit, but once she got to the top of it, she decided to slide down the branches on her feet. It was thrilling, but scary. 

That same night, Edo had a dream where he was in a tropical forest. He felt the ground shake far more than it did when Dawn or Sara approached him. Suddenly, he saw a T. rex eat a kill it made. The dinosaur was mostly scaly in browns and other dark colors. It had orange eyebrow bones and black quills emerging from its back. From the other side of the thick grass, a Spinosaurus emerged from a lake, as evidenced by the splashing sound because he couldn’t see a body of water. It had short back legs, a long tail like that of a tadpole, a small crest on its head, its sail was not fully circular, its hands and feet were webbed, and it moved on all fours. The T. rex gave a roar, and the swimmer did not want to fight a large land predator, so it fled back into the water. The experience was scary not just because he was in the presence of two creatures even larger than humans, but also due to the shaking of the ground every time one or both stepped. 

When he woke up, it was 5 AM. He could hear his big sister snoring through the closed drawer, so he laid in his bed and closed his eyes until either her or their mother woke up so he could play with them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know Dawn and Sara took the law into their own hands here. And Dawn using a gun without a license is probably illegal. So theoretically, both of them should be criminals by now. However, they were against someone who had kidnapped someone and was planning to murder them, so taking the law into your own hands while being non-lethal is probably not as bad.

**Author's Note:**

> I forgot to mention this. But for some notes I don't think AO3 would let me upload, here are links:
> 
> https://www.deviantart.com/duscara/art/Hopeful-Future-supplemental-notes-858112015
> 
> https://www.wattpad.com/973383707-hopeful-future-supplemental-notes
> 
> Every in-universe thing contained within that literature (which is supposed to be the same on both sites) is canon.


End file.
